1.2 Assessing Your Current Situation

Reasons for Academic Difficulty

There are many reasons why you might not have done well on your first attempt at college. To get you thinking, start by reading the article Top 11 Reasons Why College Students Dropout: Don’t Let it Happen to You by Brian Pivik.

Which of the reasons listed in the article did you identify with?

Do you have a reason that was not listed?

Assessing Attitudes

As you begin your journey to get your academics back on track, it is important to assess your current situation and what got you to this point. Once you have determined this, you can start building a plan for success.

Let’s start by assessing some core aspects that are needed to be successful as a college student.

Activity 1.1: Assessment of Core Attitudes

For each statement, mark on a scale of 1 – 10 to what level you agree or disagree.

		Agree	Slightly Agree	Slightly Disagree	Disagree
1.	I take full responsibility for my successes and failures in college.
2.	I am motivated and fully invested in reaching my academic goals.
3.	I have a strong support system that encourages me.
4.	I am clear about why I am in college and willing to make the sacrifices needed to reach my academic goals.
5.	I feel that I am fully capable of reaching my academic goals.
6.	I believe that I am a valuable person that deserves success in life.

Assessing Behaviors

It is also important to look at your behaviors to determine which may be impeding your success in college. Until you identify problem behaviors, you cannot develop strategies to change them.

Activity 1.2: Behavior Assessment

For each of the categories below, check those behaviors that are true for you.

Motivation

___ I don’t really want to be in college

___ I don’t really want to be in college.

___ I am not clear about how college will help me in the long run.

___ I have a hard time getting myself to class and arriving on time.

___ I find excuses to not get my course work completed.

___ I have not set any goals for myself.

Time and effort

___ I do not spend an adequate amount of time on my class work to truly learn the material.

___ I expect to get good grades without putting in much effort.

___ I procrastinate and turn in work that is not my best.

___ I do not seek help when I need it.

Purpose and direction

___ I have not decided on a major.

___ I am not clear on what career I would like to pursue.

___ I am not following a degree or transfer plan.

___ I have not met with an advisor.

___ I do not believe that college courses will lead to the career I want.

Life challenges

___ Demands of my job make it difficult to focus on college.

___ Family commitments frequently take precedence over course work.

___ Others in my life are not supportive of my educational goals.

___ My own or a family member’s health has made it difficult to focus on college.

___ I do not manage my time well.

Economic pressures

___ In order to pay the bills, I sometimes must skip class to work.

___ Unreliable transportation makes it hard to get to class.

___ Sometimes inadequate food or shelter has made it hard to stay focused on college.

___ I have a hard time finding the money to pay for my tuition.

College success skills

___ I do not read all the assigned reading from the textbooks.

___ I do not have good note-taking skills.

___ Rather than studying over several weeks, I cram for tests at the last minute.

___ I feel that I do not have good writing skills.

___ I allow myself to be continuously distracted while trying to study.

___ I have poor test-taking strategies.

Lifestyle challenges

___ I do not eat a balanced diet.

___ I do not get regular exercise.

___ I do not get enough sleep to feel rested and energized.

___ I have difficulty dealing with the stresses in my life.

___ Problems in relationships have distracted me from college.

___ Emotional issues have made it difficult for me to be successful.

___ Substance use has had a negative impact on my academic success.

In which two of the above categories will you need to give the most attention to be academically successful?

Assessing Your GPA

Now, let’s look at what it will take for you to be back in good academic standing. Good academic standing means having an overall Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.0 or higher. You can find more information about academic standing in the Palo Alto College Catalog. To calculate what grades you will need to get back to a 2.0, you can use the GPA Calculator provided in Alamo GPS.

Activity 1.3: GPA Calculator

Log into ACES and click on the Alamo GPS icon. In the top right-hand corner, click on the three dots icon. Select GPA Calculator and then Advice Calculator. In the Desired GPA box, type in 2.0 and then click the Calculate button.

Below, copy the results showing what grades you will need to make in future classes to reach a 2.0.

What is your reaction to these results?

Now you know what it will take to return to Good Academic Standing, and you have a good idea of what your challenges have been. This book will help you further reflect and come up with strategies to help you address the areas that have been the most challenging. You have taken the first step on the journey to successfully reaching your academic goals!